Source: New Zealand Ministry of Justice
Headline: The Ministry of Justice’s handling of Russell Harrison’s employment
MEDIA RELEASE
5 August 2026
The Ministry of Justice will strengthen its employment and management practices after recognising it made a number of mistakes in the employment of Russell Harrison, says Secretary for Justice Andrew Kibblewhite.
We have both received an independent legal review of our legal advice and undertaken our own stocktake of what happened. Whilst the independent review noted that it can be notoriously difficult to progress an employment matter where there is a related criminal prosecution, it is also clear we got some key things wrong.
Most significantly we missed the chance to terminate Mr Harrison’s employment when we received his Police vetting report on the same day he was charged. We should have moved to terminate his employment at that point instead of suspending him.
We have also identified the need to implement more systematic oversight and monitoring for complex employment relations matters, and greater specialist advisory support for managers.
As a public agency we must follow the law and respect the rights of employees, but we must also carefully manage how we spend appropriated money – in this case we got the balance wrong and I apologise for that.
I’m committed to ensuring we make the changes required to improve our systems and work.
Actions
As a result, the Ministry will:
- Develop greater depth of expertise and strengthen access to specialist employment law advice and assurance (Lead: Chief Legal Counsel).
- Review and strengthen processes and guidelines for pre-employment checks, conditions of employment, and management controls of conditional employment (Lead: Deputy Secretary Corporate Services).
- Review all employment policy settings for managing prolonged absences relating to criminal charges or allegations of serious misconduct; and provide managers with clear guidance on these expectations (Lead: Deputy Secretary Corporate Services).
- Strengthen decision-making for significant employment matters by clarifying legal, human resources, and operational responsibilities; requiring comprehensive advice, risk assessment, independent review, and documented rationale (Lead: Deputy Secretary Corporate Services, Chief Operating Officer and Chief Legal Counsel).
- Improve senior leadership oversight and escalation of high-risk or long-running
employment matters through structured review points, regular reporting, defined decision points, and no-surprises processes for Ministers (Lead: Deputy Secretary Corporate Services).
All actions will be completed by the end of October 2026.
Accountability for performance
The question of accountability of those involved in this matter will be taken into account in our performance review processes, starting with senior leaders. In relation to me, I will ensure the Public Services Commission has access to all the relevant material.
External review
Arising in part from this matter, the Minister of Justice has asked the Public Service Commission to undertake a rapid Performance Improvement Review of the Ministry of Justice’s operations. As part of that process, the reviewers will look at the Ministry’s management of Mr Harrison’s case and our responses to the shortcomings identified.
Timeline
- Russell Harrison joined the Ministry on 21 June 2021 as part of the new Kaiārahi (Family Court Navigator) service funded in Budget 2020.
- He was charged with serious criminal offences on 30 June 2021 and suspended on full pay on 7 July 2021 (as of February 2026, the pay band for Kaiārahi is $85,562– $116,273).
- The criminal case against Mr Harrison was complex, involving multiple charges and defendants. Difficult evidential issues resulted in a number of appeals and the case was also affected by COVID-19.
- As of January this year, the matter was due to go to trial on 29 July 2026.
- Mr Harrison pleaded guilty to money laundering on Friday 19 June 2026. His employment was then terminated on 24 June following a brief employment process.
Key findings
Finding 1: There was an opportunity to terminate earlier
It has become clear that we missed an opportunity to terminate Mr Harrison’s employment when we received his Police vetting report on the same day he was charged. There was an issue with our legal advice, but there are also questions for the Ministry, as an organisation, about how we consider issues and advice and make decisions. Having reviewed the matter, I now believe we should have moved to terminate Mr Harrison’s employment at that point, instead of suspending him.
Finding 2: Need to implement more systematic oversight and monitoring for complex employment relations matters
Once the decision was made to suspend Mr Harrison on pay, his employment was actively managed. That included regular contact, reviews of whether suspension continued to be the appropriate response, and consideration of a negotiated exit.
But this situation does highlight some of the difficulties of managing an employee who has been suspended while awaiting trial on serious criminal charges:
- An employee who is suspended on pay continues to accrue annual leave. As part of a drive across the Ministry to reduce annual leave balances, Mr Harrison was allowed to cash up a week’s annual leave on two occasions in 2023. Greater consideration should have been given to the best way to manage leave balances for an employee who has been suspended. Mr Harrison’s leave was managed closely after that, and he was required to take his full entitlement of leave each year.
- The Ministry was also aware that Mr Harrison was occasionally undertaking some secondary employment relating to his background as an entertainer. The Ministry has policies that allow secondary employment in certain circumstances, but more thought should have been given to how the public would perceive an employee on special paid leave engaging in secondary employment.
This situation demonstrates the need to implement more systematic and senior oversight and monitoring for complex employment relations matters, and provide greater specialist advisory support for responsible managers.
Correction of previous statement
In the course of looking at our handling of this matter, we became aware of an error in a statement we made on 2 July 2026, after Mr Harrison’s employment was terminated following his guilty plea.
We previously advised that Mr Harrison “started working for the Ministry in June 2021 having passed a criminal record check and vetting.”
References were checked before the offer of employment was made.
However, as is sometimes the case in a recruitment process, the requests for a criminal record check and Police vetting were not submitted until after the offer was made.
The request for a criminal conviction history check was submitted after Mr Harrison started work and received a few days later. It showed he had no criminal convictions.
The request for Police vetting was submitted before Mr Harrison started work, but the report was not received until 30 June. It disclosed the charges laid against Mr Harrison that morning.
I apologise for this error. It was in part driven by the desire to respond quickly to the matters raised, but itself demonstrates the need for more careful oversight.
Andrew Kibblewhite
Secretary for Justice
ENDS
This page was last updated: 05th August 2026
Original source: https://nz.mil-osi.com/2026/08/05/the-ministry-of-justices-handling-of-russell-harrisons-employment/